What Is BSA Section 20?

Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 - Section 20: When oral admissions as to contents of documents are relevant.

Oral admissions as to the contents of a document are not relevant, unless and until the party proposing to prove them shows that he is entitled to give secondary evidence of the contents of such document under the rules hereinafter contained, or unless the genuineness of a document produced is in question.

Brief Detail

This section outlines the conditions under which oral admissions regarding the contents of documents can be considered relevant in legal proceedings. Key points include:

• Oral admissions are not relevant unless the party can demonstrate entitlement to present secondary evidence.
• This requirement ensures that there is a basis for admitting oral statements concerning written documents.
• The section also addresses the scenario where the genuineness of the document itself is disputed.

Question & Answers

When are oral admissions about document contents considered relevant?

Oral admissions are relevant when the party can prove entitlement to present secondary evidence of the document or if the genuineness of the document is questioned.

What must a party do to prove oral admissions regarding document contents?

The party must show that they are entitled to give secondary evidence of the document's contents.

What happens if the genuineness of a document is in question?

If the genuineness of the document is in question, oral admissions about its contents can be deemed relevant.

What is secondary evidence in this context?

Secondary evidence refers to evidence that is not the original document but can be used to prove its contents, such as copies or oral testimony regarding the document.

Example

Example of oral admission relevance:

If a party claims that a contract states specific terms, they must show they can provide secondary evidence of that contract to validate their oral statement.

Example involving a disputed document:

If a party is challenged on the authenticity of a will, oral admissions about what the will contains may be relevant in court.

Illustrative scenario:

A party might say, The letter states that payment is due, but without showing the letter or a valid reason to present secondary evidence, that statement may not be considered.

Summary

Section 20 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 specifies that oral admissions regarding the contents of documents are generally not relevant unless the party presenting them can establish a right to provide secondary evidence or if there is a dispute over the document's authenticity. This ensures that oral statements regarding written documents are substantiated by appropriate evidence.